UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It's no secret that Penn State is home to a diverse spread of elite, collegiate wrestlers – but that's only the tip of the iceberg.
The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club selects from a mix of top freestyle, qualified collegiate and ambitious high school wrestlers to develop the next wave of U.S. Olympic talent. And it is all happening right here in Happy Valley.
The university acts as a U.S. Olympic Regional Training Center, with the NLWC serving as the center's administrator. While others are attracted to this hub for the budding talent and recent success, coach Cody Sanderson, brother of Nittany Lions head coach Cael Sanderson, sees the club as a cornerstone to the community and future of sport.
"The Nittany Lion Wrestling Club has been part of the area for a very long time," said Sanderson, who is entering his 13th year with the NLWC. "It was established there long before we were all coaches."
Though humble in nature, Sanderson and his family can be attributed to much of the club's achievement.
With the Sanderson brothers' arrival at Penn State in 2009, the wrestling landscape changed across the nation as Penn State went on to claim eight NCAA championships. Soon after their arrival, a flood of attention and talent was driven to the NLWC.
"As a result, we have the opportunity to have several elite athletes here training for international competitions," Sanderson said. "And we also have a great training center for our Penn State athletes to participate when they're getting ready for those types of things."
And this year in particular, the NLWC has a lot to show off.
The Olympic Team Trials concluded in early April with four resident club members qualifying to compete in the Olympic Games: former Penn Stater David Taylor, Thomas Gilman, Kyle Snyder and Helen Maroulis. Additionally, three international wrestlers training at the NLWC facilities join the gang heading to Tokyo later this year.
"We just have a lot of athletes that have aspirations beyond being an NCAA wrestler," Sanderson said. "There's not a professional league per say for wrestling, so the international Olympic styles are the future for guys who want to do more."
The NLWC's success this year is perhaps noteworthy because these wrestlers battled both the toughest of competition and a global pandemic, all at once. Challenged with a lack of fans and visibility, the NLWC coaches chose to get creative with redesigning the sport's reach through the subscription streaming platform Rokfin, which airs all of the NLWC's matches.
"Rokfin was an interesting revolution that started this past summer when everything was shut down during the pandemic. Cael specifically started looking around and realized we can't take the wrestling model for granted," Cody said. "We need to make sure we continue to advance it technologically to reach fans and get more engagement."
Sanderson described the transition to Rokfin broadcasted events as "experimental," but expects the future of wrestling to be rooted in this virtual viewership.
"It's something we've talked about in the past. I think there's value in wrestling that we're missing," Sanderson said. "We needed to find a way to capture that value, and Rokfin presented this opportunity. Plus, if there's a fanbase out there, then we can generate more funds for wrestling and continue providing opportunities for our sport."
Through this support and dominance, there is no doubt the NLWC is a weapon for the Nittany Lions. But Sanderson believes the NLWC's success only adds to the value of Penn State, as there are many crossovers between the two programs.
The entire Penn State coaching staff recruits talent for the Olympic Regional Training Center, and current Penn State wrestlers Carter Starocci, Nick Lee, Aaron Brooks and Greg Kerkvliet were among the NLWC athletes attempting to qualify.
"It means a lot to the program to have the opportunity to be associated with this kind of greatness. These are great individuals not only on the mat, but also outside and in the wrestling community," Sanderson said." And I think it reflects upon the program and the vision that Cael has for wrestling in this part of the country."
As the NLWC gears up for its qualifying athletes to represent the United States at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Sanderson now takes time to reflect on his role as a coach.
"One of the biggest reasons I entered coaching was because I like to work with people that are competitive innovators that set goals and go after them. With the NLWC, I get to work with some of the best, most talented people in the world and I love coming to work every day," Sanderson said. "For me, it doesn't get better than that."
